Leadership Councils

Leadership Councils

at St. Thomas

2019-2020

Pastoral Council:

Many Gifts, One Spirit: Church Governance through Consultative Leadership

III. Participants in Parish Governance

PURPOSE The parish pastoral council is a consultative body to the pastor. The purpose of the pastoral council is to examine, consider, and draw conclusions concerning matters under discussion in order to recommend a course of action to the pastor. Through pastoral planning, the pastoral council assists the pastor in

• Developing and living out of the mission of the parish;

• Forming community as a sign and witness of unity for the larger parish community;

• Promoting communication and understanding among parish organizations and between the parish, the Archdiocese, and the universal Church (CIC, c. 536 §1). In forming community, council members are challenged to undertake ongoing renewal through prayer, study, listening, and dialogue. In developing priorities and directions for the parish, the council is to become the means of achieving full participation by the whole parish in its mission by giving all a voice in guiding and directing parish life. In fostering communication, the council encourages and initiates dialogue among parish leadership and organizations and brings to them the concerns of the universal Church.

2019 - 2020 members:

Finance Council

The finance council is a consultative body that provides the pastor with advice concerning the stewardship of the parish’s fiscal resources. It assists the pastor by:

Conducting long-range financial planning with regard to funding operational and capital needs in the parish;

Developing and overseeing a parish budget process which results in an annual parish budget. This process should involve the participation of those responsible for parish programs. It should be so designed that it addresses the parish’s priorities and goals as determined by the pastor and parish pastoral council;

While the finance council has significant responsibility for the stewardship of parish financial resources, it is not the role of the finance council to recommend directions, priorities, or programs other than those related to its delegation: namely, fiscal stewardship. For this reason, the other consultative structures must be in place for the finance council to fulfill its role responsibly and effectively.